Persona: Shattered Memories
by Daniel Anderson
Summary: One year after the Inaba murders, another mystery creeps up in both Port Island and Inaba. On top of this mystery, another shows up when memories of Inaba and Port Island mesh together with reality. Please R&R and enjoy.
1. Port Island and the Velvet Dream

I do not own in any shape or format Persona. All rights belong to Atlus.

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Persona: Shattered Memories

~Port Island and the Velvet Dream~

"The time has come once again to delve into a mystery. A Fool has entered the area and the Shadows are moving...Ah! It looks like my new assistant has arrived. Welcome..."

A young man woke up suddenly. He just had the strangest dream about a long-nosed man and a beautiful woman.

_We are now entering the Port Island area. Please remember to gather all your belongings before exiting the train. I repeat..._A voice on the speaker announced.

The young man looked out the window and looked over the sparkling water. _Port Island, huh? Well, I suppose it's better than being stuck in the middle of nowhere._ He stood and gathered his belongings. He turned his music player on and stuck his headphones on.

This young man was pretty average looking. He wasn't too tall or too short nor was he fat or skinny. He had an untamed mess of grayish-blue hair. His eyes, covered by his glasses, were a piercing, ice blue. (Sometimes people said his eyes changed hue depending on his mood.) He was wearing a crisp, white shirt with a black jacket over top. His pants were black as well, and his shoes a nice, cloudy gray. His belongings consisted of his messenger bag, in which he kept all his important stuff, and a travel suitcase, for his clothes.

The train stopped and the young man got off the train. He pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket and read it. He folded it up again and stuck it back into his pocket. He hefted his pack and walked out of the station towards town. As he passed a TV store, he paused and watched the news that was on.

"...Today is the one year anniversary of the start serial-murders in Inaba. Thanks to the efforts of the police department there and several local teens, the murderer was eventually found just a few days prior to Christmas. The murderer, another detective at the Inaba Police Station, admitted to killing several people including: Yamano Mayumi, a talk show host, and Konishi Saki, a young teen girl. He also admitted to kidnapping others including: Kubo Mitsuo, Dojima Nanako, and several of the other teens that helped capture him. In other news..."

_I heard about that...I wonder how that guy managed to kill those people like that. I wish I could meet those teens..._The young man walked on, looking for the dorms he was supposed to stay in during his stay. He soon reached a co-ed dorm. He suddenly had a strange sense of deja-vu, but that wasn't possible because this was the first time he had ever been at Port Island. He shrugged the feeling off and walked in.

"...But it's not possible! No! We got rid of the Dark Hour four years ago! It cost Minato his life...I can't forget about that!" shouted a tall woman with short brown hair and a heart choker.

"W-well, Yukari, it's back...And I've seen Minato too. In the Dark Hour. It was just like when Metis came out of the Abyss of Time..." another girl said.

"Thank you, Yamagishi-san," said a girl younger than Yukari and Fuuka, about the same age as the young man.

"Uhm, excuse me...?" he asked tenatively.

Yukari spun around. "Huh?! H-how long have you been there?"

"O-oh, uhm, n-not t-too long..." he answered, not wanting to sound like he was eavesdropping.

"Oh! You must be Tsugashi-kun! I've been expecting you, I'm Suzuki Hisae. You can call me Suzuki-chan. Uhm, well, these two are, well..." Hisae looked towards Fuuka and Yukari.

"We were just leaving. I have a thing or two to discuss with Fuuka," Yukari decided. She grabbed Fuuka by the arm and steered past Rin Tsugashi. "It was nice meeting you. And forget anything you may have heard, it doesn't mean anything." Fuuka waved bye to Hisae and Rin as Yukari drug her outside.

"I'm so glad you were able to make it! I've been looking forward to some company. Let's see...Your room is on the second floor...uhm...last door on your...right. I'll take you there," Hisae said cheerfully. She led Rin up the stairs and talked animatedly at the same time. "So are you going to Gekkoukan High? What grade are you in? Wouldn't it be cool if we were in the same class?" The questions never seemed to cease. Rin answered all with ease though. They reached his room. "Well, here we are. Anything else you need? No, I guess not. I guess you just want to rest right? Well, good night, I'll see you bright and early when we leave for school!" Hisae bounded away.

Rin sighed. _Suzuki-chan sure is energetic. Ah, well, could be worse I suppose. Now for some quiet sleep._ He went into his room and fell onto his bed where he promptly fell asleep.

_Rin could have sworn he fell asleep, yet here he was awake in some strange place. It looked like some sort of train or something. Everything had a bluish tint to it it as well._

"Welcome to the Velvet Room_,"_ _said someone sitting on the seat opposite Rin. Rin was about to say something but was stopped. "_Don't worry. This is only a dream. After all, you do not yet have the key to the Velvet Room. I am Igor and this is my new assistant, Alice_." Igor gestured to a young woman next to him. Rin realized that these were the two from his first dream on the train._

"Hello. I am Alice, pleased to make your acquaintance_," Alice introduced herself._

"Now there is much to be discussed, but there is so little time. But in short amounts of time, great things can happen. Ah, it seems our time now has come to a close. The next time we shall meet is when you decide to visit on your own. Here is the Velvet Key. Now I must bid you good-bye_," Igor said, fading away. Rin looked at the key in his hand and stuffed it into his pocket. Everything went dark then._

"Tsugashi-kun! Tsugashi-kun!" came a voice from the other side of the door. "Alright! I'm coming in!" Hisae opened the door and walked in. "Come on sleepyhead! We're going to be late for the first day of school!" Rin sighed, shoo-ed Hisae out of the room, and got ready for his first day at Gekkoukan High.


	2. Gekkoukan High and Personas?

~Gekkoukan High and Personas?~

The train pulled away from Iwatodai Station and Rin sat down. Hisae was staring out the window. Rin looked at her with a sidelong glance.

Suzuki Hisae was very pretty. She was shorter than Rin, but wasn't too short. She had long, black hair she had tied up today. Last night, Rin saw that she had red eyes. In the Gekkoukan High uniform, Hisae looked really nice.

Hisae saw Rin looking at her and giggled. "So, uh, what's it like where you're from?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, well, you know. Busy. Life in the city is that is." Rin was kind of flustered. "I'm kind of excited to come down to a smaller city. Have you always lived here?"

"Well, no. I used to live closer to Tokyo." Hisae sat down next to Rin. "There were some problems happening there and I had to move here. OK, my turn...Uhm, do you have a girlfriend?"

Rin blushed. Hisae giggled again. "No, I've, uh, made some irrevocable mistakes that made me look different than I really am." Hisae started to say something when the conductor came onto the speaker.

_Attention, all Gekkoukan High School students. We are now pulling into the Port Island station. I repeat..._

"Are you ready?" Hisae was looking directly at Rin. He could only nod, he was so stunned by how the light made her look. They got off at the station and walked towards the prominent building towards the back of the island. "So apparently, the school used to be a research building for the Kirijo Group. But fourteen years ago a terrible accident happened that took out most of the building and most of the power for the island." Rin listened to Hisae's history of Gekkoukan High silently.

Soon they reached the front gates. "Well, I'll see you later." Hisae smiled and caught up with some of her friends up ahead. Rin shook his head, smiling. He went into the modern looking building.

"Hey! So did you check out the class listings yet?" "No. Not yet." "We're in the same class again!" All around Rin people were talking to each other, talking about class postings, complaining about homeroom teachers, catching up from the summer break. Rin looked around for the class postings and saw them next to the stairs. He went over and looked up and down the list.

He saw his name almost immediately. _Tsugashi Rin---Class 2-C. _He also saw Hisae's name in the same column. _So, Suzuki-chan is in my class? At least I'll know one person._

"Alright! Suzuki-san is in my class this year too!" shouted a boy next to Rin. Rin tried to stifle a laugh. Apparently, this guy had a thing for Hisae. The boy saw Rin staring at him. "Hey bro! Can you believe it? I'm in the same class as the junior idol, Suzuki Hisae!" He seemed really giddy. "Oh, dude, I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot; I haven't even introduced myself! I'm Higashiyama Hirotada. You can call me Hiro, nice to meet'cha!"

Rin shook Hirotada's outstretched hand and said, "Tsugashi Rin." Rin took the chance to examine Hirotada. He was just a little taller than Rin. He was well-built, like he exercised often. His hair was pitch-black and was cut close to his head. He had a rather knowledgeable look behind the playfulness in his green eyes. He was wearing the same uniform Rin was.

"So what class are you in?"

"2-C."

"Dude, that is awesome! I heard our homeroom teacher is Ms. Toriumi. Some of the students have been spreading rumors that she had a thing for a student a few years ago. I'm surprised they let her stay if that's true. Ah, well, I'm gonna head to class now. See-ya round!" Hiro went upstairs towards the classroom.

_Hmm...I should probably go to the faculty office and introduce myself since I'm new here and all..._Rin looked around. _But where is the faculty office?_ He saw someone selling lunch materials and decided to ask her.

"Uhm...Excuse me?" he asked.

"Oh, hi. Are you here for some bread, or maybe some of our famous pork cutlets? The cutlets sell out fast, so if you want them, you better get them now," she replied.

"Oh, no, that's not it. I was just wondering where the faculty office was."

"Oh, ho, ho. You want directions, do you? Well, it's going to cost you..." the lunch lady said with a smile that said "that's right, I'm going to get you to buy something. Anything."

"Well, how much are the, uh...pork cutlets...?" he asked, resigned to buying something.

"Five hundred yen each," she replied smiling.

Rin had a little bit of spare cash, so he could afford a few. "OK, uhm, I'll take two then. And, some, uh, bread too." The lunch lady kept smiling as she handed him his items and took his cash.

"Right, then. Down this hallway on the same side as me, first and second doors to your left." Rin thanked her and went towards the office. Inside, he looked around, confused. Who was he supposed to talk to? Should he have just gone to the classroom? Luckily, he didn't have to ponder these questions for too long since a relatively attractive woman approached him.

"Yes, can I help you?" she asked him.

"Ah, w-well, I, uh, just transferred here, so I, uh, thought I should come here," he stuttered.

"Oh! Would you be Tsugashi Rin, then?" she asked. He nodded. "Well, then. I'm Ms. Toriumi, I'll be your homeroom teacher..." She stopped suddenly, lost in thought. _Wow...The last time I had a transfer student..._She noticed Rin staring at her. "Oh! Excuse me. Yes, well, ahem. Class is about to start, why don't we head there now?" Rin nodded and followed Ms. Toriumi out of the office. They ended up going up the stairs Hiro did.

"Wait here," Ms. Toriumi said outside of the classroom. Rin obliged and Ms. Toriumi walked into the class.

"So, Suzuki-san. How was your summer?" "Higa-san! How's it been?" "Can you believe we're already juniors, Aka-chan?" "I know! It seems like just yesterday we were worrying about our high school entrance exams!" The class was buzzing with excitement at the start of the new term.

"Class, settle down now." Ms. Toriumi ordered the class. Once they settled down, she continued, "Now, before we continue, we have a new transfer student if you haven't already heard---" She was cut off as the class got loud again.

"A new transfer student?!" "I wonder if it's a guy. Ooo, and if he is, I hope he's hot!" "Who would want to come here?" "He must be crazy to want to transfer at this time of year. Midterms are right around the corner!" Ms. Toriumi waited until the class settled down.

"Oh, my dear Suzuki-san! Can you believe it? A transfer student! In our little class!" Hiro said dreamily to Hisae.

"Oh, you mean Tsugashi-kun?" she commented.

"Rin?"

"Yeah, have you met him already?"

"Yes, down next to the bulletin board. I have a feeling he I are going to be good friends!"

"Well, that's good. It makes me happy to see you helping someone new."

"Well anything that makes you happy makes me happy, Suzuki-san!"

"...Anyways, Tsugashi-san, you can come in now!" Ms. Toriumi called out the door. Rin came in. Mixed feelings were easily read across the classroom. Some people sighed, some girls actually swooned, some people fell back asleep. "Alright, introduce yourself to the class Tsugashi-san."

"H-hello. I'm Tsugashi Rin. I'll, uh, be staying in your, uhm, care for awhile, so, uhm, please take care of me..." Rin watched the reactions on the various students. The guys kind of sniggered, actually _sniggered_ (they thought what Rin said was kind of girly), the girls sighed sighs of longing (they thought he was simply amazing), Hisae and Hiro both gave him thumbs up signs.

Ms. Toriumi watched him for a second longer and then said, "Now...Where are you going to sit...?"

"He can sit next to me, Toriumi-sensei," Hiro said.

"Yes...Yes, that'll work. Tsugashi-san, you can sit next Higashiyama-san," Ms. Toriumi said. Rin nodded and sat down next to Hirotada.

"Hey, you didn't tell me you knew Suzuki-san!" Hiro whispered to Rin.

"Uhm, well, we live in the same dorm and---" Rin started to say.

"You WHAT?!?!" Hiro jumped out of his seat screaming.

"Excuse me, Higashiyama-san?" Ms. Toriumi asked.

"A-ah...nothing, Toriumi-sensei...Aha...ha..." Hiro sat back down. He looked back at Rin. "You what?!"

"Well, it just happens to be the same dorm, Suzuki-chan lives in too," Rin answered.

"Suzuki-CHAN?!" Hiro seemed faint. "Hey, you gotta help me. You gotta help me get together with her!"

"Well, I don't know..." Rin said. Hiro just looked at him. Rin looked at Hisae and shrugged his shoulders. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful after that.

The final bell rang and the students were released. "Hey, Tsugashi-kun, wanna hang out for awhile? Higa-san can join us if he wants to," Hisae offered.

"Yes! Yes, one hundred times YES! I would love to hang out with you Suzuki-san!" Hiro was back to his energetic self. "I-I, m-m-mean, for Rin's sake of course. Since, he, uh, doesn't know his way around here yet."

Hisae looked at Hiro. He blushed. "Yes, that would be fun, Suzuki-chan," Rin came to the rescue of Hiro. Hiro gave a grateful look to Rin.

"Great! Let me grab my stuff and then we'll head off!" Hisae bounded over to her seat and grabbed her stuff. The trio left by the front gate and headed over to Paulownia Mall. "This is the mall. A lot of teenagers hang out here. There's the, uhm, Chagall Cafe, uhm, Mandragora, the karaoke bar, the police station, and, uh, Club Escapade. You guys wanna go get some pheromone tea while we're here?" Hiro and Rin didn't disagree, so the trio headed into Chagall Cafe where they enjoyed a cup of tea. After spending some time there, Hisae led them over the Port Island Station where they caught the train to Iwatodai Station.

"Sometimes, we hang out here too," she said. "A lot of times kids go to Hagakure to get a Hagakure bowl. It's super famous around here! There's also: Bookworms, Book-On, the sweets shop, Wild-Duck Burger, and a beef bowl shop. Oh and Octopia, they sell some sort of takoyaki there." Rin took it all in. "So, this is pretty much it. I can show you around to the other places later if you want." Hisae smiled.

"It's kind of late, huh? Wanna grab a bite to eat at Hagakure, Suzuki-san, before we go our seperate ways?" Hiro asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I was about to suggest that, actually," she replied. The three of them laughed.

A little while later, Rin and Hisae said good-night to Hiro. They were walking through the crisp night. Rin looked at Hisae. _She's really cute. I can see why Hiro has a crush on her. It doesn't seem like she's interested though._ Rin's thoughts were interrupted though, as suddenly the air around the pair became more tense.

"Uhm, Tsugashi-kun...What time is it...?" From Hisae's tone of voice, Rin suspected she already knew the answer.

He looked at his watch anyways. "11:59. Why?"

"Ah, we stayed out too long! I totally lost track of time!" Hisae sounded worried. She pulled a couple of handguns out of her bag.

"S-suzuki...chan...?" Rin was taken aback.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I'm going to protect you." She sounded serious. "Come on! We have to hurry back to the dorm!" She started running down the sidewalk with Rin in tow.

They were only a few yards away from the dorm when it happened. A large being appeared in front of them. "So close too...Rin! Stay back! This is no ordinary being. It's called a Shadow. Hurry and get to the dorm!"

"Suzuki-chan! I can't just leave you here with this...this thing!" Rin argued.

"Well, do you have anything to defend yourself with...?" Rin opened his mouth then shut it. "No, of course not. Hurry and go!" She started firing upon the Shadow. It didn't seem to be too effective.

_The time has come for me to awaken. The power resides in you to summon _my _power. It is up to you how you use my power. But for the moment, use my power to fight! Call out my name and destroy your enemy!_

Suddenly, Rin saw two words in his mind. "Per...sona...? Persona! I call upon thee, Aer!" Power welled up in Rin and escaped, forming behind Rin. Aer stood there, tall and proud, wielding a steel blade in his hand. The power faded and Rin felt different...More...Powerful. He picked up a nearby stick and ran to join Hisae in the fight.

Up close the Shadows looked like...shadows. They had on blue masks and had hands coming out of the ground. _These are the Maya Shadows, weaklings compared to us._ The voice resonated in Rin's head. But suddenly the Mayas started to spasm and change. They grew into full bodies and became much scarier. Suddenly, the power inside Rin started to change. Without total control, Rin's power grew and morphed. It burst out of him again, only this time a more majestic, more powerful Persona burst out. Rin charged the Neo-Mayas, using the overflowing power of Aether to obliterate them instantly. As the Neo-Mayas disappeared so did the power of Aether, reverting back to Aer.

Hisae looked at him in awe. "I think it's time to call Takeba-san," she said when she regained her composure. Rin didn't hear though, he had blacked out.


	3. What Happened Then and A Mystery

Sorry for the delay. Due to technical inconvenience (my computer broke), I was unable to finish this chapter very quickly. I promise to update with the next chapter in the next few days.

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~What Happened Four Years Ago and a Mystery~

Rin awoke with a loud grunt. _W-where a-am I...? _It was dark where ever he was. He could hear voices coming from somewhere.

"Just because he has a Persona doesn't mean the Dark Hour is back!" one voice said.

"Yukari, why is it so hard to believe?" another said. Yukari, he had heard that name somewhere else too. Rin's head hurt too much to think about it for too long though.

"Fuuka! Minato sacrificed himself to end the Dark Hour! It can't possibly be back again," the first voice argued.

"Takeba-san. This wasn't my intention when I called you here. I only wanted to discuss what actually happened," the voice sounded like Hisae but Rin wasn't sure.

"Well, it seems obvious to me. Rin-san awoke to his Persona. How and why I couldn't tell you," Yukari said, obviously displeased with anything to do with Personas and the 'Dark Hour.' Rin tried to get up and got a wave of searing pain through his body. He groaned.

"So, what exactly is a Persona? I know you told me about what happened all those years ago, but I'm not sure I understand..." Hisae said.

Someone sighed. "Personas are the masks people wear to hide their true feelings. For Persona-users, this mask takes on a physical form, granting the user the power that Persona contains. Personas even become stronger after the Persona-user accepts their weaknesses and allows their true feelings to come through," Fuuka explained.

"I see. So can you two still use your Personas?" Hisae questioned Fuuka.

"Ha! There hasn't been any need so we got rid of our Evokers...At least...I set mine down somewhere and don't remember where I put it..." Yukari had a harsh tone to her voice. _Is she always this way? _Rin thought.

"Yukari...You should've kept it where you could easily get it. Mitsuru-san had us keep them for a reason, remember?" Fuuka said.

"Well, anyways, is Rin-san still asleep?" Yukari looked at Hisae.

"As far as I know," she replied.

"Well, Fuuka and I will take our leave for now then. Come on Fuuka, lots of business to take care of," Yukari called over her shoulder as she walked towards the entrance.

"Thank you, Suzuki-san, for telling us about Tsugashi-san. Yukari may not seem like it, but she's kind of exicted that the Dark Hour is back. She's been aching and complaining of boredom everyday. This should provide a good distraction for her," Fuuka whispered to Hisae. Fuuka waved bye and then followed Yukari outside.

Hisae flopped down on the sofa. She sighed and pulled her guns out of her purse. _You two didn't seem to help much last night...I wonder if it's because only Persona-users can defeat Shadows...Rin did it with a stick even..._Hisae sighed again and got up. She went upstairs towards Rin's room. She paused outside of the door, hesitant to enter.

"C-come in," Rin called weakly. Hisae came in and pulled Rin's desk chair over to his bed. She sat down and looked down at Rin. "I must look like crap. Come on, smile!"

She smiled. "Well, you looked better yesterday."

"What...happened?" Rin asked.

"Yesterday? Or..." Hisae didn't finish.

"Yeah, way back then. I assume...Yukari-san? I assume she told you about it," Rin said.

"Yes, she did. Well, Kirijo-san did, when I asked her about the history of the dorm," Hisae took a deep breath. "This is what I was told: Back in April 2009, a transfer student came to Tatsumi Port Island. His name was Arisato Minato. But before he even came, the Dark Hour already existed. There were two Persona-users before Minato came; Kirijo Mitsuru and Sanada Akihiko. These two were the first members of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, SEES for short. Soon after Takeba Yukari joined them. Their task was to battle the Shadows that appeared in the Dark Hour. Soon after Takeba-san joined SEES, Minato arrived here. It was soon discovered that Minato was an adept Persona-user. On a side note, I was told Minato's signature Persona was Orpheus and eventually gave rise to Orpheus Telos.

Anyways, another Persona-user was found, Iori Junpei. After Iori-san joined SEES, the younger members were shown Tartarus. Tartarus, or the Tower of Demise, formed during the Dark Hour where the school is. Eventually, stronger Shadows appeared, each one representing a specific Arcana. Along the way more Persona-users where found: Amada Ken, Koromaru, Yamagishi Fuuka ,and Aigis.

As the Fall approached, Strega, enemy Persona-users, became a popular cult, advocating the end of the world. They said Nyx was going to save everyone. Minato and the rest of SEES knew the truth though. Aigis had, ten years prior to the events in this story, sealed away the Death Arcana into Minato. This being was released when Minato released his Persona. Ryoji, as the manifestation of Death was called, was the harbinger of the Fall.

The Fall was soon approaching, it would happen on New Year's. SEES, being the only ones who could prevent it, climbed to the top of Tartarus where they confronted Nyx Avatar. They did manage to defeat Nyx Avatar, but that wasn't the end of the Fall. The moon turned into the true body of Nyx. Minato went into it and sacrificed himself to seal away Nyx. Several months later, Minato died."

Rin closed his eyes. "So...This...Nyx?...Was responsible for the Dark Hour?"

"As far as I was told, yes. Only one more strange thing happened, but that story wasn't divulged to me," Hisae said. "Well, I really only came in here to see how you were doing...So..."

"Thanks, Suzuki-chan." Rin looked at her with gratefulness clearly showing on his face.

"A-ah...Well, it's nothing...I-if you need anything, just, ah, call me," Hisae was blushing. She stood up, pushed the chair back, and left.

_This could end up being a problem, _Rin thought. _If this...Dark Hour...is back does that mean Minato's seal is weakening? Is this being of eternal darkness...Nyx...Is it returning? I have a Persona, so I'd be expected to fight, but I don't know if the other Persona-users would be fighting...Takeba-san, Amada-san, Aigis, Koromaru, Sanada-san, Kirijo-san...Can they still fight? Will they fight? Yamagishi-san seems to be the only one willing...Well, there'll be time to think about it later..._Rin fell asleep just a few seconds later.

It was three days later when Rin regained the strength used by Aether. Hisae greeted him when he came downstairs. "Well, look at what the cat dragged in. Did you plan on sleeping in forever? Come on, we're going to be late for school!" Rin scratched his head.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes! Now get dressed!" Rin tromped back upstairs and changed into the Gekkoukan uniform. The pair left and headed toward Iwatodai Station. "We need to celebrate!"

"What for?" Rin asked, confused.

"Your spectacular return of course!"

"That's cause for celebration?"

"Of course it is! If I ask Higa-san, he'll come for sure." Hisae rolled her eyes and Rin laughed. "So, some celebratory ramen at Hagakure then?"

"Sure, fine by me."

When they got to class, Ms. Toriumi gave the students some news. "Class, settle down! I have an important message from the principal!" That only got the class more riled up.

"Oh, dear Suzuki-san! Could the principal be declaring this day ours?" Hiro swooned over Hisae.

Rin patted him on the back. "Sorry, man. I don't think today is your lucky day."

"Well, Mr. Sleep-for-a-Week! Didn't think I'd see you for awhile!" Hiro joked. Rin laughed.

"Yeah, and here I thought you were just a dream!" They both laughed while Hisae glared at them.

"Class! That is ENOUGH!" Ms. Toriumi sounded serious so the class did settle down. "Now then...Something has happened at Port Island Station. It happened soon after you all should have been here, so...Anyways, the principal wants all of you to be careful on your way home. I have to go to the meeting the staff is having so everyone stay here. Higashiyama-san, as class representative, is in charge." Ms. Toriumi left in a hurry.

"Everyone remain in this classroom!" Hiro tried to sound authoritative. Most people were too busy gossiping to listen, but since they were gossiping they weren't going anywhere either. Hiro sat back down. "So what do you think happened guys?"

"I don't know...Sounds really mysterious though. It must have been right after we got here though," Hisae answered, motioning towards Rin and herself.

"Do...Do you think it could've been a murder?" Rin asked thinking back to what he heard about the case in Inaba.

Hiro took on a look of shock. "A murder?!"

"It would certainly be a first..." Hisae muttered. "Tsugashi-kun, want to check it out? We may be able to see something!"

"Suzuki-san?! You want to leave? As class rep, I cannot let you leave the school or my care!" Hiro argued.

"Well, then Higa-san...No...Higa-kun, will you come too?" Hisae said flirtatiously. Hiro gulped and blushed. _She called me Higa-_kun_! We're getting closer! YES!!_

"A-ah...W-well, since you obviously cannot leave my care, then I suppose there is no, uh, other choice but for me to accompany you."

"Well, now that that's settled, let's go!" Hisae bounded out of the classroom, closely followed by Hiro and Rin. They had to take the long way downstairs to avoid being seen by the lunch lady or any staff members that might be in the main lobby. When they saw the lobby was clear, the trio dashed outside and left through the front gates.

The trio quickly made their way to the station. The entire place was surrounded by police from the mall. "Hey! No pedestrians allowed here!" shouted a police officer.

"Kurosawa-san!" Hisae said excitedly.

"Oh. Hisae-san. Yukari-san is not here, neither is Fuuka-san. So unfortunately I cannot let you in to the scene," Officer Kurosawa said.

"Did someone say I wasn't here?" came Yukari's voice.

"Ah, Yukari-san. It seems like Hisae-san wants to look at the scene," Kurosawa said.

"Oho! Want to see us at work again do you Hisae-san?" Yukari said, emerging from the shadows.

"Of course! I love seeing you work!" Hisae answered.

"Well, this time the crime is pretty gruesome, so I don't know if I should let you guys in..."

"Hey now. I'm sure all of us can handle it. Right, you two?" Hisae looked at Hiro and Rin. They nodded.

"Alright, alright. I'm sure you'll find your way in anyways, so go on. But in the future think about if you're interrupting our work or not," Yukari said this with a small smile. Hisae returned the smile and then looked at Kurosawa. He sighed, obviously not pleased with his boss' decision. But he stood aside and allowed the students to pass.

It wasn't too far to the corpse. Rin didn't see it first because Hiro and Hisae were in his way and Hiro didn't see it until Hisae gasped. When they heard her gasp, Hiro looked down and Rin hurried around the pair.

There on the ground was the remains of a person. Or more accurately what remained of a person. His eyes had been gouged out and dried blood was caked all over his face. Lying nearby were the eyes that had been violently destroyed. His tongue was lying nearby as well, severed from his mouth. His chest was ripped open and several vital organs were missing. Even though his body was lying face up, his legs were not. They were twisted around backwards so the toe was pushing into the ground. Nearby was also several bullet casings and deep gouges in the concrete.

"Any ideas, Yukari-san?" Hisae said when she regained her composure.

"None," she answered at first. Then she looked around and let her gaze rest on Hiro. Hisae shook her head. "Later then." Hiro looked at them, wondering what was going on.

"We should go back to the school," he said.

"Yes..." Hisae gave Rin a glance that said 'you know what did this too.' The trio bid farewell to Yukari and went back to the school. Ms. Toriumi hadn't returned yet and somehow everyone was still in the classroom, when they returned.

Eventually, Ms. Toriumi returned and released the class and cautioned them to stay safe on their way home and to go straight there.

"Guess no party then, huh, Suzuki-chan?" Rin joked. Hisae looked up sharply.

"Tsugashi-kun. We need to talk. Let's go," she sounded serious. After muttering their goodbyes, the pair left Gekkoukan High behind, walking briskly towards the station. "I think the Shadows did that."

"I get that feeling too."

"The bullet casings are what makes me suspect someone else was there. Normal people aren't able to see Shadows even if they somehow manage to make it into the Dark Hour. Those bullets were lying next to the gouges in the ground. Someone was shooting at something."

"What about you?"

"What do you mean? I've been with you all day. Besides, judging by those gouges I would have been eaten alive in an instant."

"Wait." Rin stopped walking. Hisae looked back and then stopped. "You said that normal people couldn't get into the Dark Hour normally. But this crime didn't happen in the _Dark Hour, _it happened after we passed by to get to school."

"Damn it. This is too confusing. Shadows can't enter our time and _they_ can't enter the Dark Hour. What the hell is going on?!" Hisae was shouting and people started to stare.

"Suzuki-chan, calm down. Let's see what happens tonight during the Dark Hour. If anything strange happens then...Well, I don't know what happens then, but we'll think of something. In the meantime, let's try to remain calm."

"Tsugashi-kun, how can you remain so calm?"

"I guess it just comes naturally."

"Ya know, if you hadn't come here, I think I would have been lost. You're providing me with a beacon in the darkness. Thanks...Rin-kun..." Hisae blushed as she used Rin's first name. "And uh, if you don't mind, you can, uh, call me...Hisae..." She blushed even more.

Rin blushed and couldn't think of anything to say, but he walked over to Hisae and hugged her. For the first time in a long time, Hisae cried into someone.


	4. Another Persona and What Next

~More Personas and What Does This Mean?~

The time ticked by slowly. It was almost midnight. Rin and Hisae sat next to each in slightly awkward silence. Earlier that day, stressed out by the murder and not understanding anything, Hisae had broken down and Rin comforted her.

Hisae was messing with her skirt and Rin was silently watching the clock. Without warning, the tension in the air changed. The Dark Hour was upon them.

"Rin-kun, I, uh, don't know how much help I'll be if Shadows attack us..." Hisae mumbled. "But I did, ah, pick up something from Kurosawa-san while you were asleep for you." She got up and went over to the lobby's desk. From behind the desk, she pulled out something wrapped in black cloth. She handed Rin the sword. "Here. The Ama-no-Si. Personally, I've never heard of it, but Kurosawa-san said that it would suit you."

Rin removed the cloth and stared down at the inscribed scabbard. He couldn't make out the what the characters meant; as far as he could tell it wasn't even Japanese. He withdrew the katana and looked up and down the blade. It shimmered in the darkness of the room. "It's very beautiful, but I don't know how to handle a sword." He replaced the blade and nodded his thanks anyways. It could still be more useful than a stick.

"So now what? It's the Dark Hour. What do we do now?" Hisae asked.

"Now we go to Tartarus," Rin said decisively.

"But it shouldn't be there...Should it?"

"As far as your story goes, it shouldn't...but you haven't looked have you?"

"Well, I usually sleep through the Dark Hour," Hisae admitted.

"Well the best thing we can do, then, is to check it out." Hisae nodded her agreement. "Well, let's go then. Burning moonlight."

The walk to the station was brisk, but uneventful. They reached the station and then stopped.

"How are we going to get across? There's no electricity, is there?" Rin asked.

"We're going to have to walk across the rails," Hisae answered. They moved on. They had only entered the station when they heard a noise. "Ah! W-what's t-that?"

"S-show yourself, shadow!" Rin didn't sound anymore confident than Hisae. Something stirred and came towards them.

"R-Rin? S-Suzuki-san?" The voice was oddly familiar.

"Higa-san?!" Hisae moved closer. It was Hiro. "What are you doing here? At this time of night no less?"

"W-well, I could a-ask you the same!" Hiro shakily retorted.

"Uhm, well...I asked first, so there!"

"Err, well, alright. I don't know if you're going to believe me, but I got chased here by some sort of strange creature. It looked like a giant bird or something. It was all black and had piercing red eyes. I didn't know where else to go!" Hiro explained.

Hisae looked at Rin and nodded. Rin moved closer to Hisae and she whispered, "It must have been a Shadow. And the only people who don't transmogrify in the Dark Hour are Persona-users, even ones who haven't woken to their power yet, like me. So if Higa-san is here, he must be a Persona-user too."

Rin nodded. "Well, we believe you Hiro, so why don't you stick with us."

"Are you going somewhere?" Hiro asked.

"Yeah, the school."

"You two are awfully studious, it's only midnight. The school isn't open now, anyways."

"Yeah, studious, well, you're a part of this now too, so..." Hisae trailed off. "Anyways, we need to get across the rail-lines." Rin nodded and moved toward the rails. He lightly stepped onto the tracks and looked toward the third rail. No electricity seemed to spark off the rail, so he motioned for Hiro and Hisae to follow him.

They walked for what seemed like hours and eventually reached Port Island. They marched on, eventually reaching something that was there instead of the school.

"Tartarus..." Hisae breathed. It was. Instead of the two story school building, stood a massive, who-knew-how-high tower. It was deformed and looked like something out of this world. However, it was not solid and shimmered, like something out of a dream.

Rin started to say something, but then a piercing scream broke the silence around them. They wheeled about to come face to face with another Shadow. It was big and bird-like, its large wings flapping furiously to keep its even larger body afloat.

"Th-that's the thing that c-chased me!" Hiro groaned. Rin and Hisae looked at each other and nodded. Hisae pushed back her jacket, revealing two holsters containing her handguns. She unholstered them and started to shoot at the Shadow. Rin unsheathed his sword and ran towards the giant beast. "What the hell do you guys think you're doing? You're gonna get yourselves killed!"

Hisae's bullets scratched the Shadow but ultimately did nothing but infuriate the creature. It screeched, and dove to attack, stopped only by the force of Rin's downward cut on it.

"Rin! You're going to have to use your Persona!" Hisae told him.

"Right," he answered. "Wait. How am I supposed to do that exactly?"

Hisae stopped and looked at him. "You don't know how?" Rin shook his head. "Well, try the same thing you did the first time." The Shadow was climbing back to its feet.

Rin inhaled a deep breath. "Persona! I summon thee, Aer! Heed my call, and lend thy power to me!" Rin could tell something was happening, because he could feel the power well up within him. He knew it worked because he heard Hiro gasp.

_You have once again called upon my power. It is good that you can control me, for, without control, the Shadows would eat your soul, since our power is made of the same power the Shadows have. _Aer paused and assessed the situation. _Now, let us take out this higher Shadow, Yta-Taro._

The power was incredible and Rin knew how to use it. He moved quickly, weaving back and forth, in and out of sight. He was upon Yta-Taro before Hisae and Hiro knew it. The Shadow-bird, however, saw Rin coming and launched itself back into the air. With all his new found powers, Rin could not fly.

Yta-Taro saw its chance as Rin crouched, thinking about his next move. It lengthened its talons and dove towards Rin. "RIN!!" Hisae screamed and light shone out from her.

_Your love for another has attracted my power. I am Hermea, the Goddess of Dawn, and I shall lend you my power so that you may fight for those you love._

Before anyone or thing could react, Hisae aimed her handguns and fired. The bullets pierced Yta-Taro, and the Shadow retreated back into the night air. Rin looked startled for a second but quickly rolled toward Hisae.

"Nice one!"

Hiro came over to them. "What the hell is going on here?!"

"Hiro, do you think now is the best time to explain?" Rin asked him. Hiro looked flustered and he decided that Rin was right.

"Well, alright, but I wanna help too!"

"Oh yeah? How are you going to do that?"

"Well, my old man taught me some of the ancient martial arts that's been part of our family for generations."

"Well, alright, but you're going to have to watch yourself, you don't have a Persona yet." Hiro nodded, putting on a grim mask.

Yta-Taro chose this moment to dive straight towards its original target: Hiro. Rin saw it coming however, and pushed Hiro out of the way. As Yta hit the ground, Rin drove his sword through it, causing black liquid to flow out of its body. Yta writhed in pain. Rin raised his blade for the finishing blow, however a voice stopped him.

"Do it and the girl dies," it said. Rin spun around and saw someone holding Hisae. Yta-Taro took flight and disappeared into the darkness.

"Who are you?" Rin called out.

"Hmph. There is no need to tell you," the voice called back.

"Let Hisae go!"

"I shall, but not because you asked, but because I have done my duty and I must report back now." The bodiless voice disappeared. Rin ran over to Hisae.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but the Shadow got away," Hisae said. Hiro ran over to them.

"What's going on here exactly?" he asked. Rin and Hisae looked at him and shook their heads.

"Not now," Hisae said. "Back at the dorm." Hiro glared at them, but said nothing more.

The three of them started the long trek back to the dorm when the Dark Hour ended. The street burst to life with people and light. Taking the train saved them time and they made it to the dorm shortly after 12:30.

"Now. Tell me what's goin' on," Hiro said without any trace of his normal tone. Rin nodded and told him what Hisae had told him only the other night. Hisae filled in details that Rin left out, but otherwise the entire story was laid out. Hiro took it all in without saying anything until it was over. "So...You're telling me that I also have the...potential...to have a persona? This is kinda deep..."

"I understand what's going on in your mind, believe me; it's gonna take some time to come to terms with it. Why don't you get home and get some rest? We can discuss what goes on next tomorrow," Rin told Hiro. He nodded and bid his goodnights. "We should probably should get some rest too." Hisae nodded and looked at her guns and smiled.

Whatever would happen next, they were more prepared with Hermea and Aer and the possibility of Hiro's persona.


End file.
